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Archive for October, 2008
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Navaratri – Day 6 – Drishti Durga
Although in a larger sense the last 3 days of Navaratri are for Saraswati, in the Navadurga ritual that we are performing, day 6 additionally belongs to Drishti Durga. Literally “drishti” means glance and in this sense, it is referring to those who may wish us less than well…their glance being the “evil eye”. So [...] -
Navaratri – Day 5 – Sabari Durga
Day five is for Sabari Durga who is the form of Durga who kills Mahishasura; the buffalo headed demon. This is the subject of the famous song Mahishasura Mardini which you can find in the Multimedia section of the puja.net site. She is a coutry form of Durga who is shown with a bow and [...] -
Navaratri – Day 4 – Jataveda Durga
Jataveda Durga is the form of Durga who is the source of the Vedas; the Durga of knowledge and is closely related to Saraswati. Another peaceful day and the flowers were arranged beautifully. The priests were all trained at the Shankaracharya ashram and so adhere to those customs. One of the things that Adi Shankara [...] -
Navaratri – Day 2 – Shanti Durga
After the intensity of the first day, the second turned out to be quite the opposite. Since each day focuses on a different aspect of Durga, some days will thankfully be more gentle than others. The text of Chandi Path is, for the most part, about the warrior side of Durga. But today was “Shanti [...] -
Navaratri – Day 3 – pujas
The nine planets (navagraha) a big part of every yagya, but particularly this series. Each planet has extensive pujas, as well as the 27 nakshatras(vedic star constellations) and the atidevatas, and pratidevatas which are the forms of the divine which rule over the specfic planets. In the puja area there is a special Navagraha table [...] -
Navaratri – Day 3 – Temple Abishekam
Here in Kanchipuram there is a priest whose family takes care of a large number of temples in the area, including parts of the huge Ekambeshwara temple. When we have yagyas in temples, he is most helpful and flexible. It was a surprise when he stopped by the yagya house and asked if we would [...] -
Navaratri – Day 1 – Lalitha Sahasranam
The crystal Sri Chakra or Meru (seen above) is traditionally decorated with fresh sandalwood and a dot of kumkum as being representative of the devi’s position at the top of creation. The evenings are devoted to the recitation of Lalitha Sahasranam; the 1008 names of the playful and most beautiful form of the goddess. One [...] -
Navaratri – Day 1 – Kanya and Suvasini Puja
Every day as a part of the Navaratri program, we perform Suvasini Puja in which we offer traditional gifts of a new sari and bangles, makeup, a mirror, and for the little girls some small toys. The grown women get a little money instead of toys! The vedic tradition is very balanced in their view [...] -
Navaratri – Day 1 – Invocation
Yesterday’s Ganesha yagya left a delightful and calm feeling in the air. It was as if he was reassuring us that he’s gotten the outside world taken care of, and we can concentrate on the Devi pujas. The hall this morning is decidedly more serious and focused. We begin with the daily yagya consisting of [...]