Dec 18 2010 - Mala Dharanama & Ayyappa Sahasranama/Laksharchana

The Ayyappa Mandala Season is in full swing at our Livermore Shiva Vishnu Temple.

This coming Saturday, the puja and bhajans will start at 4:30 PM to give us extra time to handle kids mala dhaarana. If you have not already given your name, please send an email to ravi.devaraj@gmail.com if you are interested in mala dhaarana for yourself and/or your kid. Girls under the age of 10 and women over the age of 50 can do mala dhaarana and perform Irumudi puja which will be performed at the temple on December 26th at 9:00 AM.

Last weekend (12/11) we had 25-30 kids from Sarada Bhajan Mandali perform bhajans. They sang songs for all the gods and the entire temple was reverberating with the positive vibrations from the songs that the kids were singing.

LAKSHAARCHANA

As you all know, we have introduced the Sahasranama during our weekend bhajans. Our priests are doing a wonderful job in conducting the sahasranama.

If we have a 100 people performing Sahasranama at the same time, it is called a Lakshaarchana. If we have 50 people and we perform the Sahasranama two times, that also constitutes a Lakshaarchana. We request all devoteeds to come this weekend and participate in the Sahasranama so we can try and make it a lakshaarchana. Please note that if husband and wife perform Sahasranama, it counts as two people. Please bring your friends and relatives and ask them to participate in the sahasranama/Lakshaarchana.

A few devotees asked about the meaning of Laksharchana. Laksharchana is "Worship with the recital of a lakh of divine names of a deity." The way we are planning to do it is to have 100 (or more) of our devotees recite the Ayyappa Sahasranamam at the same time along with the priest.

I request all devotees to bring flowers to the temple this weekend.

I have uploaded a copy of the Ayyappa Sahasranamam in all four languages (tamil, telugu, malayalam, and english) to our www.ayyappasamaaj.org web site. You will need to register to the ayyappasamaaj.org site to gain access to the link.


http://www.ayyappasamaaj.org/apps/links/

Swami Saranam!
Prasad

Nov 15 - Dec 25 2009: Ayyappa Mandala Puja: Livermore Shiva Vishnu Temple

Ayyappasamaaj of San Francisco Bay Area (http://www.ayyappasamaaj.org/) will grandly celebrate its Annual Ayyappa Mandala Puja at the The Shiva Vishnu Temple, Livermore between Nov 15th and Dec 25th.

With the grace of Lord Ayyappa we are ready to begin this year's Mandalam season on Nov 15th. We invite you, your family, and your friends to come participate in the planned devotional activities and receive the grace of Lord Ayyappa. If you are planning to wear mala this season to observe viratham and/ or take Irumudi, please let us know in advance.
The months of Kaartika / Vrishchika, Maargazhi / Dhanur are most auspicious for Lord Ayyappa, during which period Mandala Puja is celebrated. Devotees observe traditional austerities (vratham), which normally start from the first day of Kaartika/ Vrishchikam (November 15). Devotees initiate the vratham by wearing a Thulasi or a Rudraksha mala. After 41 days (on December 25th) the devotees end their vratham by carrying Irumudi and removing the mala. (Kids can observe short vratham days by wearing mala on December 19th and end it on December 25th). Irumudi is a cloth bag with two compartments containing offerings for the Lord.

Nov 15 5pm - Mandalam begins with Sankalpam, Mala Dharana, Abishekam, Archana, and Bhajans followed by Dinner Prasadam
Dec 19 5 PM Mala Dharana for kids followed by Bhajans and Aarathi
Nov 21, 28, Dec 5, 12 - Weekly Bhajan on Saturdays at 6pm followed by Aarti –
Dec 25 9 AM - Mandalam ends with Irumudi Puja, Abishekam, Archana, and Bhajans followed by Lunch Prasadam

This is an excellent opportunity for children to learn Ayyappa bhajans and sing them during the Puja. We will be performing Irumudi Puja on December 25th. Last year we had over 20 Ayyappas do the Irumudi Puja (including over 10 children)

- Please participate with your family on Nov 15 and Dec 25
- Please bring your children to learn Ayyappa bhajans on Saturdays (Nov 21, 28, Dec 5, 12)
- Please forward this email with the attached flyer to at least five of your friends and family. Ask them to sign for Ayyappasamaaj Yahoo Groups. (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Ayyappasamaaj/join)
- If you are interested in taking vrutham (deeksha) this year, please contact us immediately. We can provide you with Thulasi Mala to begin your vrutham. Several other activities are planned as well and we'll update you as we go along.

Please help spread the word by forwarding this to your friends.For more information, please visit the temple web site at http://livermoretemple.org org

For information call: Prasad Ramakrishnan (408) 705-8172, Ravi Shankar (650) 302-3612, Sudhakar Deevi (925) 518-4521, Manoj Empranthiri (408) 309-0695, Usha Namboodri (925) 803-1249

To join our mailing list, please sign up for our Yahoo Group (groups.yahoo.com/group/ayyappasamaaj/join)

Grand Celebration of Irumudi Puja at Livermore Shiva Vishnu Temple (Livermore, California)

24 December, 2008
LIVERMORE, CALIFORNIA

Ayyappa showed us the way, and in a big way.

With the grace of Lord Ayyappa, the volunteers from AyyappaSamaaj -- http://www.ayyappasamaaj.webs.com, (Yahoo Groups: Ayyappasamaaj http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Ayyappasamaaj/join) performed Irumudi Puja for 20 Ayyappas, manikandans, and maligaipurams at the Shiva Vishnu temple in Livermore, California to conclude the Ayyappa Mandala Puja for the year 2008 in a very grand manner. The function, held on December 24, 2008, was very well attended with over 300+ devotees participating in the event.

The people who took Irumudi fell into the following categories:

• They have been going elsewhere, like Washington DC, to fulfill their obligations - several devotees who had been going there for years decided to do it here.
• They have gone to Sabarimala before and wanted a way to continue their devotion - we had people who have gone to Sabarimala 20, 12, 3, 1, year(s)
• They have observed others doing this before and decided to start their own - we had one Maharastrian family do it.

Irumudi Puja

Ayyappa Devotees visiting the Sabarimala Temple carry the Irumudi – a specially designed bag with two compartments. This ceremony is referred as Kettunira or Palli Kettu. The front portion of the bag is meant for keeping the puja articles and other offerings to the deities at Sabarimala. The other compartment is meant for holding the personal belongings.

The Irumudi Puja commenced with the traditional filling up of gheee into the mudra coconut. The mudra coconut is prepared ahead of the ghee filling ceremony by making a hole in the third (soft) eye of the coconut, draining the coconut water, and drying the inside of the coconut by showing it on a flame. After filling up the ghee, to the continous chanting of Sarana Ghoshams (http://pramki.blogspot.com/2008/12/sarana-ghosham.html) and Vazhinadai (http://pramki.blogspot.com/2008/12/vazhi-nadai.html) verses, the coconut filled with the ghee was sealed with a cork. Vibhuti, Sandal paste, and Kumkum were then applied to the Ghee filled coconut.

The other main contents of the front compartment of the Irumudi is the rice. All the devotees attending the function came in a procession to put rice into the Irumudi bag. A one dollar coin (kanikkai for Kuladhaivam) was placed into this rice bag. The symbolism of the kannikkai is worth mention. Different people have different gods as their Kula Dheivam, ruling diety for their family, who protects the family. When Ayyappa devotees undertake the pilgrimage to Sabarimala, Lord Ayyappa takes over the role of being the Kula Dheivam once the Ayyappas enter into Gods own country, also known as Ayyappa's Poongavanam. The kanikkai is safely retained by the devotees and is deposited as an offering to their kula dheivam at the end of the Sabarimala pilgrimage.

All the other Dhravyas required for performing Abhisekham for the lord, such as milk, honey, vibhuti, sandal, turmeric, kumkum, agarbathi, rose water, and betel leaves were then packed into the Irumudi bag. The Irumudi bag was tied by the senior Ayyappas who were there to volunteer for the event. The Irumudi is extremely sacred and the devotees protect its sanctity by making sure it does not touch the ground and is always handled with respect.

The priest came and offered prayers to the Irumudi, praying for the welfare of the pilgrim who is undertaking the pilgrimage. All the Ayyappas then carried the Irumudi bag on their head, and did a pradakshanam of the temple to the chanting of Sarana Ghoshams and Vazhinadai.

After completing the symbolic pilgrimage, the senior Ayyappas then assisted the Ayyappa devotees with unpacking the Irumudi bag and collected all the dhravyas for performing Abhisekham on Lord Ayyappa. The abhisekham was conducted using the following contents of the Irumudi:

• Ghee abhisekham
• Milk Abhisekham
• Chandana Abhisekham
• Bhasma (vibhooti) Abhisekham
• Panchamrutha Abhisekham (with dates, honey, sugar candy(kalkandu), raisins, jaggery)

Witnessing the abhisekham with the dhravyas carried in the Irumudi is an enchanting experience for all the devotees seeking the blessings of Lord Ayyappa.

Thalapolli

We had Thalapolli (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLlvuV8hlSs ) for our Lord Ayyappa to the accompaniment of "Chenda", the traditional music in all Kerala temples. Almost 100 women and children participated in the Thalapolli. Thalappoli, a ceremonial procession, is a significant item in most of the festivals in Kerala In this ritual, women or young girls carry thalam, which literally means plate, in their hands. Thalam is filled with rice, flowers and a lighted lamp. Thalappoli is considered a symbol of prosperity. The lord Ayyappa comes in a procession to bless the devotees to the chanting of Sarana Ghoshams and Vazhinadai.

MahaPrasadam
The dinner for this event was prepared by the volunteers of AyyappaSamaaj (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Ayyappasamaaj/join with sponsorship from Namaste Plaza, Cupertino Bakery, and Shastha Batter.

The photos from this event are available at: http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=tbombon&target=ALBUM&id=5283872242593521169&authkey=lVmbytE64MY&feat=email
The video coverage is being edited and will be ready in the next few days. We are also uploading the content to http://www.youtube.com/. You can access the links by typing "Ayyappa Mandala Puja" and looking for the name "tbombom".Here are the links to the content from the puja that was conducted on November 15, 2008.

Ayyappa Mandala Puja Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUIg-a5QrLs
Ayyappa Mandala Puja Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0SC22ZZ3EMA
Ayyappa Mandala Puja Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9KeFpdHDBY
Ayyappa Mandala Puja Part 4 (Thalapolli): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLlvuV8hlSs
Ayyappa Mandala Puja Part 8: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWfjfU9wvBI

Click here to join Ayyappasamaaj: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Ayyappasamaaj/join

Swami Saranam!

Prasad

The Five Shastha Temples

The Five Shastha Temples

There are five important temples dedicated to Lord Ayyappa in the Western Ghats in Kerala, including the famous Sabarimala Shrine. It is believed that these temples were founded by Lord Parashurama. Dharma Shasta or Lord Ayyappa is represented in different stages of his life in these temples. Legend has it that Lord Ayyappa passed through Kulathupuzha, Aryankavu and Achankoil on his return to Madurai with the milk of leopardess.

In the Ayyappa temple at Kulathupuzha near Thenmala in Kollam District, Lord appears as Balaka or child and is known as ‘Manikantan.’

At Aryankavu in Kollam District, Lord Ayyappa appears as a young man - Brahmachari. The temple is closely associated with the Pandi Raja of Madurai.

At Achankoil Sasta Temple in Pathanamthita District, the Lord appears as a Grahastha with his two consorts Poorna and Pushkala. The idol of Ayyappa here is in Rudraksha Shila.

At Sabarimala, Lord is depicted in the Vanaprastha form. And this is the most popular shrine.

At Ponnambala Medu or Kantamala, the Lord appears as yogi and the ‘Makaravilaku’ emanate from here.

It must be noted that temples dedicated to Lord Ayyappa or Dharma Shasta can be found in several parts of Kerala, in other Indian states and in foreign countries. In Kerala, even in temple dedicated to other gods in Hindu pantheon, there will be a Sasta shrine.

Kulathupuzha
The Lord Ayyappa Temple at Kulathupuzha near Thenmala in Kollam District of Kerala is an important shrine visited by Ayyappa devotees especially during the Mandala-Makaravilaku season. This Shasta shrine is located on the banks of Kulathu Puzha, a tributary of Kallada River, and is in the reserve forest. The deity here is Manikantan or the child form of Lord Ayyappa.
There is an interesting legend regarding the origin of the Ayyappa Temple at Kulathupuzha. Once and elderly Brahmin returning from his Rameshwaram pilgrimage camped on the Kallada Riverbank. His servants started the preparation for the evening meal and they looked out for stones to create the makeshift oven.

They found a fixed stone nearby and brought two stones to create the oven. But the fixed stone was bigger than the two stones. The servants placed two stones on top of other to adjust the height. Suddenly, the first stone grew a bit taller. The poor servants raised the level of the two stones again but the fixed stone again grew a bit taller. This exercise of adjusting the height continued for awhile.

Finally frustrated with the fixed stone, one of the servants hit the fixed stone with another stone. Suddenly blood gushed out of the fixed stone and the scared servants ran and reported the matter to the Brahmin. The Brahmin sprinkled some tirtha (sacred water) brought from Rameshwaram on the bleeding fixed stone. Soon, Lord Ayyappa appeared in the form of child before the Brahmin and his servants. The local chief who came to know about this incident built at temple for the deity.

Kulathupuzha town is situated on the Thiruvananthapuram - Shenkottai road. Kulathupuzha is 60 km north-east of Thiruvananthapuram and 64 km east of Kollam. Nearest railway station is at Kollam.

Aryankavu Ayyappa Temple
The Ayyappa Temple at Aryankavu in Kollam District is one among the five most important temples dedicated to Lord Ayyappa in Kerala. The shrine at Aryankav is known as Aryankavu Shastha Temple and Lord Ayyappa is depicted as a teenager (young boy) here. Ayyappa is known as Tiruaryan here and therefore the place got the name Aryankavu.
Surrounded by forests, the temple is located on the Trivandrum – Tenkasi National Highway. Just like in Sabarimala, women from the age 10 to 50 are not allowed inside the Aryankavu Ayyappa Temple.

The rituals and pujas followed at Aryankavu Sastha Temple is that of Tamil tradition. The sanctum sanctorum of the temple has idols of Devi, Shiva and Sastha. A young Ayyappa sits in the middle with Devi on the left side and Shiva on the right side.

The festival at the temple is celebrated during the last days of the Sabarimala Mandala Kalam. The most important festivals observed here include Pandiyanmudippu, Trikalyanam and Kumbhabhishekam.

The temple can be accessed by traveling on Kollam – Punalur – Thenkasi road or by traveling on the Trivandrum – Thenkasi road.

Achankoil Sastha Temple

Achankoil Shastha Temple, or the Dharmasastha Temple, is one among the five important temples dedicated to Lord Ayyappa in Kerala. Lord Ayyappa leads the Grihastha Ashrama life here – he is depicted as a family man or leads married life here. He is depicted along with his two wives – Purna and Pushkala. It is believed that the idol here was installed by Lord Parashurama.
The Achankovil Sastha Temple is famous for curing poisonous snake bites. The left hand of the idol of Ayyappa at Achankoil Shastha Temple always holds ‘Chandan’ (sandalwood paste) and Thirtha (holy water). The Chandan and Thirtha are considered to have medicinal properties to cure snake bites.

The temple complex also contains other deities associated with the Ayyappa legend. The festivals and rituals held here have strong Tamil roots.

The most important festival here is celebrated from the first to tenth day of Malayalam month Dhanu (December – January).

There are bus services from Punalur and Chengottai to reach the temple. Also there are private services from Konni, Aryankavu etc.

Significance of Vratam before pilgrimage to Sabarimala

The meaning of the Vratam is a “Vow” or “Resolution.” When you undertake the Vratam for your pilgrimage to Sabarimala, you are taking a vow or a resolution to perform a certain set of activities and a vow or resolution to not perform certain other types of activities.

Clothes
The donning of the traditional black, blue or saffron clothes during the Vratam period has its own significance.

• Blue: First the Lord is described as Neela Megha Shyamala Varnan. Most devotees wear the Blue colored Mundu, to associate themselves with the Lord.
• Black: Lord Saneeshwara is ebony black in colour. And those people (Ayyappa Swamis) who suffer from Sani Doshams, are instructed by their Guruswamis to wear black Mundus, so that they may be released from Sani’s maleficent effects. Apart from this they are also guided to chant the 12 stotras that are pleasing to Saneeswara as they climb the Sabari Malai so that when the Ayyappa Bhakthas reach the top, Sani Bhagavan would have removed himself from their lives.
• Saffron/Kaavi: Certain Ayyappa Bhakthas who live the life of a Sanyasi within the Grihasthasrama , detached attachment, wear Kavi vastram
• White: Those who without any self interest devote their attention entirely on Him, wear white veshtis, as they consider Him as Nirguna Bhagavan.
  

Wearing the colored Mundu also has the added advantage of letting the others know that you are observing the Vratam. This is especially important as it relates to letting women know, so that they can distance themselves from the males who are observing Vratam.

Cleansing and Conditioning
The purpose of the Mandala Vratam is to cleanse the body and soul of the devotee and to prepare a devotee both physically and mentally for the journey.

A number of Ayyappa devotees are under the impression that they must desert their homes and stay in a secluded place while observing Vratam. This is not applicable in the present day. It was in vogue in those years in Kerala, where devotees used to go and stay in the temple mandap during the Mandalam season. The reason for that was due to the non availability of space for the women folk in their houses to be away from the main house during their periods. This was practiced during 1950s and 60s.

The most important thing to be observed is Celibacy and chanting of Saranams. All other things are secondary, including food habits. Of course, you have to follow strict vegetarian food. Some people avoid onion and garlic because they are considered to be aphrodisiacs; otherwise all other vegetarian food is allowed.

In those days, there was no short cut. One had either to trek the Peru Vazhi (periya paadhai – 40 KM) or the Pullumedu route, which was originally longer and tougher than the present day route. People used to return all the way through the Peruvazhi, after having Dharshan. In the present day, devotees have the option of trekking the Peru Vazhi or trekking the 7KM journey from Pampa to Sannidhaanam. In either case, you will be trekking through extremely steep mountains and wading through large crowds.

The Vratam is intended to condition your body and mind to undertake the journey. Here are some things that you can observe and the reasons for the same:

• Take bath in cold/ lukewarm water twice a day - you don't get hot water in the forest!
• Pray/ meditate to Lord soon after bath (twice a day) - prepares you for the mental journey
• Be patient in every activity you do from driving to talking to spouse/kids/coworkers - you need lot of patience to undergo a 60kms trek not knowing what's in store
• Don’t consume alcohol, tobacco, etc. - these are detrimental to the physical strength required (imagine you won't be doing these if you were training for marathon either)
• Substitute one meal with only fruits (for breakfast / dinner), eat rice only one time a day (lunch/ dinner), eat chapatti (or something else) to round out the meals - this prepares you for the little food you get during the trek
• Do not wearing footwear - you need to walk barefoot over the rocks during your trek through the Lord’s Poongaavanam (forest)!
• Sleep on the floor without pillow - you don't get beds in the forest!
  

Food
Pray to the Lord before each meal and thank him for the meal. Lord Ayyappa is considered to be Annadhaana Prabhu. Try and feed the poor whenever possible. If you are living in the US, you may consider making Prasadam and taking it to the temple and distribute the Prasadam to other devotees.

Avoid consuming processed or packaged food. This only hurts your body. You should try and condition your body to be in as perfect a state as possible in preparation of the pilgrimage. If practical, devotees should eat only food cooked fresh at home by a person who had showered and prayed before preparing the food. Previous day food is considered to be stale and should be thrown away and not consumed whenever possible. Eat fresh fruits in lieu of chips and other “junk food.” Onion, Garlic should be avoided because of they are considered to be aphrodisiacs.

Be Practical

The one principle which our Guruswamy (who has been going to Sabarimala for over half a century) believes in is that Lord Ayyappa is our bosom friend. As long as you completely surrender to Him (sharanaagatham), and observe Bramacharya during the period, nothing else is mandatory and should be followed in the spirit of the concept. At a minimum, devotees should try and do the Namaskara Slokam (Loka Veeram …) and say as many Sharanams as possible. Each time you say the Sharanams, you are telling Lord Ayyappa that you are surrendering to Him.

During the Vratam period, devotees should try and spend as much time in the temple as possible. If there is an Ayyappa Puja happening in your area, you should try and attend it. Lord Ayyappa loves songs and bhajans, as is evidenced by the number of CDs and cassettes thar you see released every year with songs sung in His praise. Devotees should try to attend as many of the Ayyappa bhajans as possible.

The pilgrimage to Sabarimala is the best example of how He shows us that all of us are equal. You do not know whether the devotee who is trekking alongside you is the CEO of a company or a laborer. All are equal in His eyes. As a devotee, you should try and follow this principle as much as possible. You should look for opportunities to help with the organization of the puja, and assist other fellow devotees whenever possible.

The question that is frequently asked is --- Is it possible to observe these in US? We need to temper it to make it practical. We can't go to work with unkempt hair or without footwear. It is okay to cut hair, shave, wear footwear (there are some Ayyappas who announce in their work about the Vratam and grow a beard!). Outside of work, observe the austerities where possible - wear the black/saffron/ blue clothes at home, don't wear footwear at home (we don't do this even otherwise), don't shave during weekends, don't go to parties or others' houses (who are not observing Vratam- they could cook meat in their home), don't eat at restaurants (if you're not traveling), go to temple at least once a week, etc. The main requirement is for you to keep your mind pure by only thinking of God and work and nothing else.

What is sad though is that people have started going to Sabarimala by observing Vratam just for 10 days, which is not at all allowed. To carry the Irumudi and climb the sacred 18 steps one has to observe Vratam at least for 6 weeks.