Chitirrai Thiruvizha - Day 4

நான்கையும் மறந்து விடுவோமே: ""வாழ்க்கை என்றால் நாலும் நடக்கத்தான் செய்யும், அதையெல்லாம் பார்த்தால் முடியுமா? நடப்பதெல்லாம் நன்மைக்கே என நினைத்துக் கொண்டு போய்க் கொண்டே இருக்க வேண்டியது தான்,'' என சாதாரணமாக ஒருவருக்கொருவர் பேசிக் கொள்கிறோம். நிஜமும் அது தான். வாழ்க்கையில் அப்படி என்ன நான்கும் நடக்கும் என்கிறார்கள் என்று ஆராய வேண்டும்.
நம்முடைய வாழ்க்கை மனம், புத்தி, சித்தம், அகங்காரம் என்னும் நான்கு கருவிகளால் (கரணம்) இயக்கப் படுகிறது. கரணம் என்ற சொல் லுக்கு விருப்பம் என்ற பொருளும் உண்டு. மனம் விரும்பியபடி புத்தி செல்லும். புத்தி சித்தத்தை மாற்றும். தான் என்ற அகங்காரத்தைத் தோற்றுவித்து நம்மை அழிவுக்கு இழுத்துச் செல்லும். எனவே மனம், புத்தி ஆகியவை நல்ல முறையில் இயங்கி, சித்தம் போக்கு சிவன் போக்காக இருக்க (கடவுளையே நினைக்க வேண்டும்) பிரார்த்திக்க வேண்டும். சிவசிந்தனையில் மனம் சென்றால் அகங்காரம் நீங்கி விடும்.
மனிதனாக மட்டுமின்றி புழு, பூச்சிகளாக கூட இழிநிலையான பிறவிகள் ஏற்படுகின்றன. அந்தப் பிறவிகள், வியர்வை, கிழங்கு, விதை, கருப்பை ஆகிய நான்கு வழிகளில் உண்டாகின்றன. எந்த வழியில் பிறந்தாலும் துன்பத்தை அனுபவித்து தான் ஆக வேண்டும். மண் புழுவாகப் பிறந்து நிலத்துக்கு நன்மையே செய்தாலும் கூட, விவசாயியின் மண் வெட்டிக்கு இரண்டு துண்டாகி அவஸ்தைப் பட வேண்டும். எனவே, இந்த நான்கு வகைபிறவியிலும் இருந்து விடுதலை கேட்க வேண்டும். நான்காம் திருநாள் உணர்த்தும் தத்துவம் இதுவே. இன்று மதுரையின் மாதரசி அன்னை மீனாட்சியும், சுந்தரேஸ் வரரும் தங்கப் பல்லக்கு வாகனத்தில் உலா வருகிறார்கள்.

There goes a say "We will have to face ups and downs in life.Also every happening is for some good reason."And most of the time its true.
Our Life is driven by our Mind and its intellectual thought, Body, overconfidence.We cogitate as we wish,and react as we cogitateThis paves way to over confidence wish may lead a person to the path of destruction.We can adapt ourself to spiritual path and seek the help of eternal power to be always constructive.Every living being suffers in their own way.Though an earth worm serves their best as natural manure,sometimes its hit by gardening tools. So we pray to God to getrid of these sorrows.
(Thanks to sasi , for translating )
Source : www.dinamalar.com

Goddess Meenakshi Amman

Meenakshi amman a Hindu deity , is the consort of Lord Shiva and sister of Lord Vishnu.Meenakshi amman is the incarnation of Parashakthi. Meenakshi was a great devotee of Lord Sundareswara (Shiva) and the Lord comes in disguise and which is know as sixty four tiruvilayadals , before marrying Goddess Meenakshi.

In Silapadikaram , an ancient post sangam tamil literature, describes the goddess , with a cresent moon on her matted hair, with two arms the left holding a lotus and the right side holding a sword. She is described as having the right side in crimson colour and the left side in dark colour.

Legend :

Once Lord Indra killed a demon , even though the demon did not harm anyone. This act brought a curse upon Indra that forced him to continue wandering until he was walking around looking for a way to get redeemed from his sin. After much wandering Indra was freed from his suffering through the power of a shivalingam in a forest , and so he built a small temple there. I t so happened that the Pandya king , named as Malayadhwaja Pandiyan , ruling a small town built a huge temple for that shivalinga and devolped the region into fine state as madurai.

The King was childless and sought an heir for the kingdom and hence he conducted Puthra Kameshti Yagam . Shiva granted him Ayonija child , a child born not from the womb , but she came out of the yagam fire . she was three years old and she was the incarnation of goddess Parvathi . She was born with three breasts and fish shapped eyes. An Voice was heard by all saying that the third breasts would disappear when she met her husband . She was named as meenakshi , "Meen" means Fish and "Akshi" means eyes. After the death of the king , she ruled the kingdom with skillful adminstration. In one of her expeditions she went to the himalaya mountains and there on seeing Lord shiva , her extra breasts disappeared . Many of the gods and goddess came to witness their marriage.

The stotram Meenakshi Pancha Ratnam is an incarnation to her. There are several other great hynms on the goddess, composed in the later centuries.

Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meenakshi

Chitra Pournami

Chitra Pournami is a unique Tamil festival observed on the full moon day in the month of Chitirai (April - May). The day is celebrated as the birthday of Chitragupta, the assistant of Lord Yama, the God of Death. 

Chitragupta , assistant of Lord Yama, is the one who keeps record of the good and bad deeds of human beings on earth. After death, when one reaches the abode of yama, it is he who tallies the good and bad deeds and declares it to Yama. 

There are various stories about the birth of Chitragupta. Yama found it difficult to keep track of the good and bad deeds committed by the humans and pleads with Lord Brahma to give him an assistant qho can keep track of this. Lord Brahma goes into deep meditation and at the end of his meditation finds a young man in front of him whth a pen in his hand and names him as chitragupta and assigns him as the assistant of Yama.

In another story chitragupta is depicted as human being given life by lord Shiva to a portrait drawn by devi Parvathi. Since he is emerged from a chitiram , he was named as Chitragupta.

It is also said that Indrani , Lord Indra's Consort, wanted to have a child and prayed to Lord Shiva, He inturn asked Citragupta to be born as the son of Indrani. He was so meticulous in keeping the accounts of everybody's destiny that chitragupta refuses to be born from the womb of Indrani as she is not destined to have children. Lord Shiva then sends Kamadenu , the celestial cow to Indra's abode and asks chitragupta to be born form the womb of Kamadenu.

Chitrapournami is celebrated as a big festival in many temples. On this day, special pooja are conducted at temples and people take bath in holy rivers and tample pond to was away the sins committed. Chitragupta temple at Kanchipuram is the only temple in South India for Chitragupta. Thirukoteeswarar temple at Thirukodikaval , situated onn the Kumbakonam - Mayiladuthurai routes , has seperate shrines for Chitragupta and Yama.

Legend : 

There is a legend associated with Chitra pournami involving Lord Indira , the King of Gods, and his Guru Brihaspathi. Lord Indra and Brihaspathi once had an argument . As Indra failed to respect guru , he stopped advising Indra who started committing sins in the absence of Guru. Days passed and Brihaspathi returned to his duty. He advised Indra for a pligrmage to the earth to lessen the burden of sins. During the pilgrimage, Indra realized that he had redeemed from the sins. He found a Shivalingam under a Kadamba tree and belived that Lord shiva has helped him in relieving his sins. Following this, he started worshipping him. He worshipped Lord Shiva with a golden lotus which he found from a nearby pond. This was believed to be happened on a chitra pournami day and the place was Madurai. Devandra pooja is held during chitra pournami day in Madurai Meenakshi Amman temple, commemorating the event.

The Mangala devi Temple located at Kumily in Idukki , kerala also celebrates this festival. This temple is dedicated to Kannaki Amman. This temple remains closed for the entire year except for the Chitra Pournami.