Yagya fire
January 31, 2008
This is from the January Navagraha Yagyas in Kumbakonam, south Tamil Nadu. It took place in a patasala where young brahmin boys are learning their veda and then to become priests. This photo was taken after the final offering (poornadhuti) was made along with a lot of ghee! I always think the fire looks so powerful at that time. Dramatic!
Temple elephant
January 30, 2008
It is very charming how many temples in Tamil Nadu have their own elephant who plays a vital role in the celebrations and rituals at the temple. I recall during my first trip to India that we went to a temple for a big yagya and at one point at the beginning of the event, everyone got up and started to walk outside. I asked where everyone was going and the answer was “Outside for Ganesha puja.” So I followed along and there he was…a real elephant waiting for us to do puja. It was quite an experience.
I recall the care and attention that was paid to the elephants. They always seem to be rather happy and fully engaged in their “job”. I always look forward to seeing them.
In every breath…
January 29, 2008
. in every breath
if you’re the center
of your own desires
you’ll lose the grace
of your beloved
but if in every breath
you blow away
your self claim
the ecstasy of love
will soon arrive
in every breath
if you’re the center
of your own thoughts
the sadness of autumn
will fall on you
but if in every breath
you strip naked
just like a winter
the joy of spring
will grow from within
all your impatience
comes from the push
for gain of patience
let go of the effort
and peace will arrive
all your unfulfilled desires
are from your greed
for gain of fulfillments
let go of them all
and they will be sent as gifts
fall in love with
the agony of love
not the ecstasy
then the beloved
will fall in love with you
– Ghazal (Ode) 323
Translation by Nader Khalili
“Rumi, Fountain of Fire”
Cal-Earth Press, 1994
Transmission
January 20, 2008
In the vedic tradition, a deity can be invoked in a person’s body, darba grass, a kalasha pot, fire, or a murti. In the photo above you see our Chief Priest, Seetharama Shastry, performing the invocation portion of a puja. What is happening is that mantras are chanted to take the energy of the deity from his “heart” and transmit it to the kalasha pot using the bundle of darba grass to link the two.
At the end of the puja, the process is reversed and the deity is returned to the pujari’s “heart”.
Suvasini puja
January 19, 2008
Part of the Navaratri pujas is a very charming puja called Suvasini Puja in which women of all ages are considered to be incarnations of the goddess and a puja is performed to them with all the traditional ingredients. At the end of the puja, each woman is given traditional gifts of a new sari, jewelry, a comb, a mirror, and bracelets as you see below.
Abishekam
January 17, 2008
One of the great things about the vedic tradition is the wide variety of ritual performances; pujas, yagyas, and my favorite, the abishekam. It is essentially a bath for the murti. The ingredients can be varied but center around water, milk, turmeric, and sandal.
The performance is quite simple just pouring the ingredients over while chanting mantras. But surprisingly, the effect is quite strong. Afterwards there is an undeniable air of freshness and purity.
Modaka balls, sugar cane, and grass
January 16, 2008
At the beginning of Navaratri, we start with a big Ganesha yagya that features his favorite food; modaka balls. They are a sweet desert and one is offered with each of the 1008 mantras of the Ganesha Sahasranam.
And why stop there? We also offered fresh sugar cane, honey, and pieces of pineapple.
And we finish with fresh flower malas and a grass that is special for Ganesha. In the temples in Tamil Nadu you can always buy some of this grass and offer it to the temple elephant who will bless you with his trunk.
Aarti
January 15, 2008
During the month of December, we sponsored a yagya in Varanasi on a day called Moksha Ekadashi…a special day of the year when it is particularly auspicious to perform a yagya to speed up and smooth our individual path to enlightenment.
As usual the pundits in Varanasi did a wonderful job in a local temple where the Shiva lingam is quite large and the decorations were beautifully elaborate. Seen above is the final aarti; an offering of the light from burning camphor.
London or Varanasi?
January 14, 2008
After I got home from the trip I was sorting through all the photos and an English friend of mine happened to look over my sholder and saw this photo. He asked, “Is that in London?”. I suppose the tight lane, the red brick and the arched white painted windows make it difficult to tell.
Done!
January 13, 2008
At the end of the yagya we took all the flower garlands, the clay kalasha pots, and offered them into the river. The funny thing about this yagya is that you’d think it would be odd worshiping a river like this. But it was a very soft, subtle and joyful experience. I am not sure exactly what to attribute it to, other than the wonderful vedic world view where Ganga flows through Shiva’s hair to nourish and cleanse the earth. That’s really what it felt like.