Why do we chant Om ?

Om is one of the most chanted sound symbols in India. It has a profound effect on the body and mind of the one who chants and also on the surroundings. Most mantras and vedic prayers start with Om. All auspicious actions begin with Om. It is even used as a greeting -

Om, Hari Om. It is repeated as a mantra or meditated upon. Its form is worshipped, contemplated upon or used as an auspicious sign.
Om is the universal name of the Lord. It is made up of the letters A U M . The sound emerging from the vocal chords starts from the base of the throat as "A". With the coming together of the lips, "U" is formed and when the lips are closed, all sounds end in "M".
The three letters symbolize the three states (waking, dream and deep sleep), the three deities (Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva), the three Vedas (Rig, Yajur and Sama) the three worlds (Bhuh, Bhuvah, Suvah) . The Lord is all these and beyond.
The formless, attributeless Lord (Brahman) is represented by the silence between two Om Chants. Om is also called pranava that means, "that (symbol or sound) by which the Lord is praised". The entire essence of the Vedas is enshrined in the word Om. It is said that the Lord started creating the world after chanting Om and atha. Hence its sound is considered to create an auspicious beginning for any task that we undertake. The Om chant should have the resounding sound of a bell (aaooommm).
Om is written in different ways in different places. The most common form symbolizes Lord Ganesha’s. The upper curve is the head; the lower large one, the stomach; the side one, the trunk; and the semi-circular mark with the dot, the sweetmeat ball (modaka) in Lord Ganesha's hand.

Thus Om symbolizes everything - the means and the goal of life, the world and the Truth behind it, the material and the Sacred, all form and the formless.

Thai Poosam

(This article was published in Dinamlar paper . And thanks to Gd, for translating this article.)

The festival of “Thai Poosam Thiruvizha” is celebrated in the temple of “Lord Pazhani Dhandayudhapaanni”. In Hindu mythology, every name and every festival is christened based on and after an episode/event that had unfolded. Let us try to understand the reason behind the baptizing of this deity.
Idumban, a mighty demon, carried the two hills, Sakthi Giri and Siva Giri to the South of Podhigai , to fulfill the orders of the great sage Agathiyar. On the way, to unburden himself for a while, he laid these hills down. Lord Muruga who was in ‘Thiru Aavinan Kudi’ at that point in time, climbed a top ‘Sakthi Giri’, as that was considered an incarnation of His mother. As Idumban found this as a hindrance to his order execution, he resisted Lord Muruga. In this process, he was engulfed by Lord Muruga himself.
Lord Muruga had a staff in His hand during this whole sequence. A ‘Staff’ in Tamil is called ‘dhandam’. And ‘ayudham’ means ‘weapon’. As He held a staff for a weapon, He was christened ‘Dhandayudhapaani’.
The other interpretation to this name goes thus: “dhandam” has yet another meaning in Tamil and that is “penalty/charge/fine”.
It is believed that on top of this mountain, Lord Muruga dons the role of a teacher and a preacher. He preaches the lesson of material life’s impermanence in this world.
As is the practice, a teacher has a staff in his/her hand to keep the students under control and to discipline them to the righteous path. Lord Muruga too, like a good teacher, with the staff in His hand, preaches to His devotees to forego their mirage-like worldly desires of money, lust and land, in which they are drowned and suffering. He urges them to renounce this material world and follow His footsteps to becoming a saint. For those who turn a deaf-ear to His morals, He levies punishments in the form of ‘penalties/fines’ (miseries in this worldly life). Human beings, unable to tolerate and bear these punishments, adhere to His advice and start following His path.
In Sanskrit, ‘Giri’ means ‘hill/mountain’. ‘Sakthi’ is how the Mother of Lord Muruga is addressed by devotees and ‘Siva’ is His Father. These two hills are named after them.
(Will write as a seperate posting about podhigai)

Thai Poosam

This information is collected from Dinamalar Paper :

பழநி தண்டாயுதபாணி சுவாமி கோயிலில் தைப்பூசத்திருவிழா நடந்து வருகிறது. இதையொட்டி அவரது பெயர் சிறப்பைத் தெரிந்து கொள்வோம்.

இடும்பன் என்பவன் அகத்தியரின் உத்தரவுப்படி தென் பொதிகைக்கு சக்திகிரி, சிவகிரி என்ற இருமலைகளை கொண்டு சென்றான். வழியில் பாரம் தாங்க முடியாமல், இத்தலத்தில் மலைகளைக் கீழே வைத்து விட்டான். திருஆவினன்குடியில் இருந்த முருகன், அம்பிகையின் அம்சமான சக்திகிரி மீது ஏறி நின்றார்.

தான் கொண்டு வந்த மலை மீது ஏறி நின்று, தன்னை போகவிடாமல் தடுத்த முருகனை இடும்பன் எதிர்த்தான். அவன்மீது தன் அருட் பார்வையை செலுத்தி, ஆட்கொண்டார் முருகன். மலையில் நின்ற இவர் கையில் தண்டம் வைத்திருந்ததால், "தண்டாயுதபாணி' என்று பெயர் பெற்றார். தண்டம் என்றால் கோல் என்றும், அபராதம் என்றும் பொருள்கள் உண்டு. "இவ்வுலக வாழ்வு நிலையற்றது' என்னும் ஞானபாடத்தை கற்பிக்கும் ஆசிரியராக முருகன் இத்தலத்தில் அருளுகிறார். ஆசிரியரின் கையில் கோல் இருக்கிறது. அதைக் கொண்டு பயமுறுத்தி, மாணவர்களை ஒழுக்க வழிக்கு திருப்புவார்.

முருகன் என்ற ஞான ஆசிரியனும், தன் கையிலுள்ள கோலால், உலக இன்பங் களான மண்ணாசை, பெண்ணாசை, பொன்னாசை என்னும் மாயைகளில் மூழ்கித் தவிக்கும் மக்களை, ஆசைகளைத் துறந்து, தன்னைப் போல் ஆண்டிகோலத்திற்கு அழைக்கிறார். மறுப்பவர்களுக்கு "சோதனைகள்' என்னும் அபராதம் விதிக்கிறார். அச்சோதனைகளை தாங்க முடியாதவர்கள், அவரது வழிக்கே சென்று விடுகின்றனர்.