Aadi pooram | Aadi puram

 Aadi pooram is a festival celebrated in Tamilnadu during Aadi month (Jul mid-Aug mid) on Pooram nakshatram day.

In perumal temples, the day is celebrated by performing Andal Thirukalyanam. 

People also do poojas with bangles and distribute those to women. 

Andal story:

Periyazhwar used to make garlands to decorate Vishnu idol in temple. He was ardent devotee of perumal (Lord Vishnu) and used to perform his duty with complete devotion. He had no children and prayed to Vishnu to bless him. On aadi pooram day he found a baby girl near the Tulasi plant in the temple. He thought it was Bhudevi (Mother Earth) who has come in the form of baby. He took the baby girl and named her Kothai and grew her up. Kothai grew up helping her father in making garland tying together the flowers from the garden, listening to stories about Krishna from her father. 

As she listened to stories of Krishna, she developed a deep involvement in the stories and developed a kind of devotion to Krishna, a level higher than a normal devotee. She would make garland of perumal everyday and wear it for herself and then give it to her father to decorate perumal statue in the temple. Her father was not aware that Kothai wears the garland before handing it over to her father, until he saw her doing it one day. He was shocked seeing it and thought his daughter is doing something very wrong according to the rules to be followed while offering anything to god. So, he made a different garland to offer to perumal, however, for some reason he could not offer it to perumal. He was very much worried that perumal was not accepting his offering. Perumal appeared in his dream that night and told him that he was happy with the garland that Kothai made and wore and offered him and Periyazhwar need not think this as a mistake and that the lord accepts Kothai's devotion this way.

When Kothai was 15, her father thought she was old enough for marriage and looked for a bride. Kothai on the other hand had resolved to marry Ranganathar (Lord Vishnu's form in Srirangam temple) and was very stubborn about her decision. Lord Vishnu appeared in Periyazhwar's dream and asked Periyazhwar to arrange for marriage for his daughter with him. Periyazhwar arranged for the marriage. Andal dressed up for the wedding, went long with her father to Ranganathar temple and united with the Lord in the presence of her father and the others.

Agni Nakshatram | Agni nakshatra | Agni Nakshathiram | Kaththiri veyyil | Kathari veyil

 Agni nakshtram, also popularly known as kathiri veyyil in Tamilnadu, is the peak of summer in Tamilnadu and other south Indian states. For North India, peak summer extends for few more days after agni nakshatram ends. 

What is Agni Nakshatram?

As per Jayasree Saranathan, a well-known researcher in astrology space, Agni nakshatram is the period durin which sun passes through 3 nakshatrams covering 7 paadams - from Bharani 3rd and 4th paadams, 4 paadams of kritthika (karthigai), 1st paadam of Rohini nakshatram.

Background:

Earth revolves around sun along with other planets in the solar system. There are bands of stars faraway from solar system. When sun is viewed from earth, sun appears with different nakshatram (star) in the background, at different time of the year. There are 27 nakshatrams that are considered to be infuencing earth. Each nakshatram is divided into 4 paadams, totalling to 108 (=27*4) paadams. These 108 paadams of 27 nakshatram are split equally and assigned to 12 raasis (raasi / raashi / zodiac) - making it 9 paadam for each raasi. Duration during which sun passes each raasi is a month. Each month spans 9 paadams. 

Sun's position and the nakshatram behind are used for calculation of season and festivals. This should not be confused with the daily nakshatram we see in calendar for birth dates and other stuffs. That is based on the position of moon.

Everything in the universe is in motion, including earth, sun and stars. Stars are faraway from earth, so they appear to be still when looked from earth. As earth revolves around sun, sun appears to be moving from one nakshatram to other, as stars form the background of the sun.

The period during which sun moves across bharani nakshatram's 3rd till it crosses kritthika nakshtram is termed agni nakshtram.

The star kritthika is called the agni nakshatram. Since sun crosses kritthika during that period, the period is called agni nakshatram.

What can be done during agni nakshatram:

Special abhishekams are performed during this period in temples to cool the dieties, with water cooled in pots and with tender coconut, along with regular abhishekam.

It is a practice among people to perform girivalam (giri pradhakshinam / hill circumambulation) around palani temple in Tamilnadu, during first two weeks of agni nakshatram.

What is generally not done: 

People avoid performing weddings and other auspicious functions.

Akshaya tritiya | Akshaya tritya | Akshaya thritiyai | Akshaya thritheeya

Akshaya tritiya (or akshaya thritiyai / akshaya triteeya) is the 3rd day of sukhla paksham falling in the month of lunar month vaisakha (solar month chitthirai).

On this day, sun is at strong position in mesha rasi (aries) and moon is at strong in rishabha rasi (taurus), making this day very auspicious. The power of the day is known by the events that have happened on this day.

Special events occurred on this day:

• It is said that pillayar (Ganapathi / Ganesha) wrote mahabharatam as dictated by Veda Vyasar on thi day.
• It is also believed that Krishna gave akshaya patram to Panchali (Draupati) on this day, so that pandavas can offer food to their guests without problem.
• Some people say that the famous story of Adi Sankara composing kanaka dhara stotram, bringing gold shower on poor woman's house who offered him gooseberry (nellikai / amla), happened on this akshaya thritiya day. However, some debate that it happened on dwadasi day.
• Another popular lengend is that parasurama avataram (5th incarnation of Vishnu) happened on akshaya thritiya day.

There are a long list of such happenings on this day, stressing on the fact that this day is very auspicious. 

What does it mean?

Akshaya means un-diminishing or something that does not get eroded. Good deeds, charity, worship and penaces done on akshaya thritiya day is believed to not get eroded and give lasting result. This is a great day for spritiual seekers to spend more time on their spiritual practice on this day for lasting results. Beginners can utilize this day to start chanting namas (god's name) or any mantra blessed by seniors. 

Should we buy gold on this day?

During recent years, there has been a rush to buy gold on akshaya thritiya day. A new idea has been spread all across India that buying gold on this day will keep growing, meaning gold will get accumulated. But, the actual meaning of the day is that whatever done on this day will stay forever. So gold bought on this day will stay forever. People also buy rice on this day, so as to get blessings of god to never have lack of food in life.

That being said, to meet the purpose of life on has to utilize such auspicious days for spiritual sadhanas. Who knows standing in queue for hours in gold shop waiting to get a chance to buy a small piece of gold, might result in that suffering stay forever.

Its one's choice whether to buy gold or to spend time in spiritual practice on akshaya thritiya day, after all every one is on their own journey in this universe balancing their papa-punyas, whether realizing it or not, but marching towards jeevan mukthi.

References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akshaya_Tritiya

https://jayasreesaranathan.blogspot.com/2008/05/akshaya-thritheeya-for-buying-gold.html

Chitra pournami | Chithra pournami | Chaitra poornima

Chitra Pournami

 Pournami (poornima / full moon) occuring in the month of Chithirai (chaitra) is celebrated as Chitra pournami. This day is also considered special for chitragupta. Chitragupta is executive of yama who takes care of accounting of papam-punyam (papa-punya / roughly translated to bad and good deeds). It is believed that praying or performing poojas to chitragupta will help one get a balance of papa-punyam. 

The chitra pournami day, in fact the night, is considered very auaspicious and very powerful by spiritual seekers. Girivalam (giri pradakshina / circumambulation) around tiruvannamali temple is very famous on this day. Generally any pournami day is preferred for girivalam. Chitra pournami is special among all pourmais and lot of people prefer to go around the tiruvannamalai hill on this night.

Pournami being the brightest of all nights, moon's energy received on earth on pournami night is very high. It is also said that moon is very close to the earth on chithra pournami night, compared to other pournamis. A tradition is followed in tamil households to have dinner in the moonlight near river or atleast house terrace, to receive maximum energy from moon. This is popularly known as nila choru in tamil. Generally people make kalandha saadham (chitrannam / lemon rice, pulihora, curd rice) and go as a family to river bank or house terrace and enjoy their dinner in moonlight. People following natural medication, ayurveda, siddha say that women's uterus receives power from moon on this night. 

Tamil New Year | Tamil Puthaandu | Varusha pirappu | Varuda pirappu

Tamilnadu follows Solar calendar, while most other states in India follows Lunar calendar.

As per lunar calendar, beginning of a month is based on Amavasya (new moon day); while in solar calendar, sun's entry into a rasi (pronounced as raasi; also called as rashi or zodiac) marks the beginning of a month. With mesham/mesha being first rasi, sun's entry into mesham is considered as new year. 

When we say sun's entry, it means sun's position, when viewed from earth, with band of stars (nakshatra/nakshatram) in the background. Earth revolves around the sun in the solar system. Very distant from the solar system exists constellation of stars. Everything in the universe is moving. As stars are far away from solar system, their movement is negligible. As earth revolves around sun, when sun viewed from earth, it appears with different band of starts in the background at different part of the year. 

There are 27 stars (nakshatrams/nakshatras), each nakshatram is divided into 4 padhas, giving 108 padhas in total. 9 nakshatra padhas are assigned to each of the 12 rasi. 

As Tamilnadu follows solar calendar, sun's entry into first nakshatram ashwini (with mesham being its rasi) marks the beginning of the new year. TO be more precise, the day sun's first ray shows with ashwini nakshatram in the background is considered auspucious and makes it technically the new year. New year in tamilnadu is called as varuda pirappu or varusha pirappu or puthaandu. This occurs on 14th of April every year. 

Tamil households celebrate varusha pirappu with beautiful kolam (rangoli / designs made with powdered rice) in front of their house. The day starts by looking at the mirror with a plate of fruits placed in front of the mirror. Maangai pachidi (sweet made with mango, jaggery with rechilli seasoning) and veppampoo pachidi (sweet made with neem flowers, jaggery and seasoning). THe philosophy behind these dishes is that, year would be filled with sweet, sour, bitter and spicy circumstances. We should move across treating everything equally.

இனிய புத்தாண்டு நல்வாழ்த்துக்கள்!!

Happy Tamil New Year!

Masi magam | Masimagam | Masi maham | Masi makam | Mahamagam | Mahamaham | Mamangam

 Masi Magam

Tamil month masi occurs during Feb-Mar every year. During this month, when the nakshatram (meaning star) named magam (or makha / magha) falls on pournami (poornima / full moon day), it is celebrated as Masi magam. Even in the years when the nakshatram magam does not prevail during pournami, masai magam is celebrated. This festival is specially celebrated in Tamilnadu.

Celebration in temples:

Deity from temples (utsava moorthy) are taken for procession for theerthavari - is dip in the river or any other theertham; it could be pond or river or sea. Devotees walk along with the deity during the procession and they take a dip too, to remove all the sins. 

This masi magam festival is even more special in Kumbakonam. The festival is celebrated in a grand manner in all the temples in kumbakonam. People from surrounding places visit kumbakonam and take dip in the river cauvery (or kaveri). Generally people take dip in holy rivers to get rid of the sins. It is believed that gods of all the holy rivers, like ganga, yamuna, saraswati, take a dip in kaveri on this day to get rid of the sins accumulated in them that was let out by people.

Mahamaham:

Masi magam is celebrated as mahamaham is celebrated once in 12 years, when sun is in kumbha rasi. Maha maham day is the concurrence of 3 events - month of magam, full moon day, sun passing through kumbha rasi. 

It is believed that during the maha pralayam, siva saved necessary seeds and amritam along with other items in a pot containing water. When the maha pralayam came to an end, the pot landed in Kumbakonam. Siva came as a hunter and threw an arrow in the pot, the water pot then became a pool which is now referred as Mahamaha kulam (mahamaha tank).

Ratha sapthami | Ratha saptami | Sun God

Ratha saptami 

Ratha Sapthami is celebrated around Jan-Feb calendar months which fall in Indian month Magha (Tamil month Thai). 

Saptami is the 7th day of any paksham. There are two pakshams in a month - Sukhla paksham and krishna paksham. The 15 days of waning of moon is termed krishna paksham and the 15 days of waxing of moon is termed sukhla paksham. 

Generally, saptami days are special for Sun God, Surya Dev. Ratha Saptami is celebrated on saptami day of sukhla paksham during the month of Magha. It is said that energy from sun is very high on this day and this is the best day for us to receive maximum energy from sun for good physical and mental health. 

Snanam (bath) is the primary ritual on Ratha saptami day. Snan is recommended before sunrise to get maximum benefit. Hindu families have a tradition to have the bath keeping eruku leaves (Sanskrit:Bhanu Telugu:jilledu Kannada:Ekkagida Tamil:Eruku) on the head. Women keep 7 leaves stacked one on top of the other and ganesha made of turmeric (Refer pic 1) on top of it; keep this set up on the head and take bath. Men replace the turmeric with cow dung or akshathai (uncooked rice mixed with wet turmeric - refer pic 2)

Pic 1 : Turmeric Ganesha

Pic 2: Akshthai / Akshanthalu

The eruku leaves are considered to absorb energy from sun. It is said that, taking head bath before sunrise, placing these leaves on head on rathasaptami day, transmits the absorbed energy by the leaves, to the one who takes bath.

Some people observe upavasam after the bath maximise the energy. Fasting is personal choice, whereas bath with eruku leaves is the ritual almost everyone follows.